Speakers

Alexandra MacKenzie is the Director of the Humanitarian Organisations and Food Assistance Division at Global Affairs Canada. From 2014 to 2016, Ms. MacKenzie was the Head of the Child, Early and Forced Marriage Unit at Global Affairs Canada, where she was responsible for Canada’s policies, advocacy initiatives and development programming to end this practice. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Political Counsellor at the Canadian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, with concurrent accreditation to Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe. Ms. MacKenzie’s other headquarters assignments have focused on human security issues, humanitarian policy and human resources. Overseas, from 2002-2005, she also served at Canada’s High Commission to Kenya, with concurrent accreditation to Burundi, Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda and Somalia. Ms. MacKenzie holds an M.A. in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University (Ottawa), and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver).

Aminata recently joined the YCSRR team, which aims to ensure that the sexual and reproductive rights of all young people are respected, guaranteed and promoted. YCSRR strives to secure the meaningful participation of young people in decision-making that affects their lives, by advocating, generating knowledge, sharing information, building partnerships and training young activists with a focus on regional and international levels. Prior to joining YCSRR, Aminata worked in the largest social mobilization consortium during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Aminata has also consulted on various private sector development projects in Sierra Leone. Aminata holds a BA in International Development Studies and Management from McGill University and is looking to further her studies in the field of public health. 

As part of the GrOW program, the Urban Institute led a consortium of researchers in the US and in the Global South (Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria). Through this arrangement, the research at the country level was embedded in the local context, Urban invested in building the capacity of the researchers to ensure learning at the individual and institutional level, and Urban was able to monitor the quality of the research and the policy relevance. This presentation will look at the design of effective partnerships for research, policy and practice. The first avenue is through developing effective North-South partnerships for research – what are the benefits, why is this an important model, and what challenges can arise? The second is in research. Using the example of a project on women’s access to and use of public transportation in Lahore, Pakistan, the presentation will show how a tool for both research and practice can inform policy and find a pathway to scale.  

Andrea Papan has over two decades of experience in gender and development. Her expertise is in human rights-based approaches to gender and development, established through academic research and development practice, and fostered by a deep interest in questions of transformative change.  

 Andrea holds a Master’s degree in Gender and Development from the Institute in Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK. She has worked globally on issues relating to gender and governance, gender and knowledge management, and gender and health. Currently, Andrea Papan is Nutrition International’s Technical Advisor, Gender and Behaviour Change. In her role, she leads the organization in mainstreaming gender equality across all programs. She also leads capacity-building for staff to improve understanding of core concepts around gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Ann Pederson trained in public health, experimental medicine and health promotion. Her doctoral dissertation examined how health promotion interventions might reduce health and gender inequities through transforming gender relations to improve women’s social positioning and health simultaneously.  

 She serves as the BC Women’s Hospital’s Director of Population Health Promotion, which involves advocating for women’s health policy as well as research and knowledge translation on health care reform and health promotion for women. This complex role includes a mandate to foster an organizational culture that recognizes the impact of sex and gender in an intersectional framework as determinants of health.  

Arun Thangaraj brings over 20 years of federal government experience. In 2011, he joined the former Canadian International Development Agency, now Global Affairs Canada, as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director General, Financial Resource Management and Planning.  In July 2015, Arun was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Global Affairs Canada.  In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of corporate planning, IM/IT and financial planning for the Department.  

Arun is also a sessional lecturer in the School of Public Administration at Carleton University where he has taught management stream courses for the past twelve years.   

He is bilingual and holds an Honours BA in Political Science, an MBA, a Master of Public Administration and CMA/CPA designation. 

Beth is the Policy Lead at The MATCH Fund. Coordinating joint work with the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Beth provides strategic analysis of funding and support for women’s rights organizations focusing on Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy. Beth brings over 25 year of working on women’s rights and gender equality issues as an independent analysis and activist. She has developed analytical tools, supported policy development, designed training, and provided technical support for a wide variety of organizations including bilateral agencies, UN entities, and NGOs. Outside of her work with The MATCH Fund, Beth coordinates Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada.    

Researchers from Carleton University teamed up with IMPACT (formerly Partnership Africa Canada) and the Development Research and Social Policy Analysis Centre on a GrOW-supported project, ‘Uncovering women’s experiences in small-scale mining in Central and East Africa.’ This project aimed to fill the knowledge gap on the role of women in mining and the impact of heightened regulations on their lives by looking at women’s activities in gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. This research project is policy-oriented and has gained attention at high levels in some of the countries in which it was conducted. This presentation will focus on outlining the partnered approach in the project and why this was such an important strength to the research, and highlighting the particular challenges the team faced in researching and translating research in a policy context that is changeable and sometimes volatile. 

As a Senior Program Manager for Gender Equality and Cross-Cutting Services at MEDA, Calais supports MEDA’s work applying a gender lens to market systems development, financial inclusion and livelihoods programming. She provides oversight and guidance to project and proposal development teams in developing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment strategies and activities. Prior to joining MEDA, Calais worked with the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada as Gender and Environment Specialist. 

Caledonia Glendale is a proud member of the Tseshaht First Nation, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. She brings a diverse array of skills and experiences to her work.  

Upon graduating in 2000 with a diploma in Business Administration – Accounting & Business Information Systems she began her employment with the Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation (NEDC). Her first task was developing the Youth Business Program, which included the development, coordination, and/or facilitation of the mentoring program, young entrepreneur’s conference, entrepreneurial and business workshops, and providing pre- and after-care to aspiring young entrepreneurs. In 2005, she naturally moved into the Business Services Officer position which broadened her client base to include all ages. In 2013, she accepted a Business Development Officer position that analyzes and recommends loan and contribution applications. In 2015, she accepted the NEDC Assistant Manager position and her experience in the various NEDC positions provide significant benefit in the new position. 

Over the years, Caledonia has accumulated an inventory of training and experiences. She successfully completed the Royal Roads University’s Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management program, APEC IBIZ Business Counsellor Training Program and Bank of Montreal Financial Analysis training. She participated in various training opportunities on all aspects of business, human resources and governance. She owned her own business for two years assisting small Aboriginal businesses with their financial management (closing the business to take the Business Service Officer position with NEDC to avoid conflict in interest). She continues to do contract work and volunteering in a variety of areas.  

Previously, Caledonia served as a member of the Tse-shaht First Nation council and two advisory committees: Nuu-chah-nulth Employment & Training Program and Camosun College Aboriginal Leadership Program. She was a member of other various boards and committees over the years, including the Port Alberni Cruise Ship Committee, Tseshaht Finance Committee, Tseshaht Economic Development Committee, and many more. 

Carla has worked as a Disaster Manager with the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent (IFRC) in Africa and Americas Regional Offices. As well as supporting emergency operations in the field. She has led reviews of international emergency response operations and supported regional and global surge development initiatives. Currently, Carla works as the Sr. Disaster Risk Management Advisor supporting Red Cross organizations globally to assess and strengthen their preparedness for response capacity. Previously, she worked in environmental education with Jane Goodall Institute, hazard and vulnerability assessments in Northern BC, Canada, on environmental leadership with communities in the Pacific islands., and in early warning research with the RC/RC Climate Centre. Carla has a Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management and a BAH in International Development with a focus on the environment, and a minor in rural development. Carla is also a member of the IFRC Green Response Global Working Group.

Carrie Hessler-Radelet is the President & CEO of Project Concern International (PCI). PCI is a global development organization working with families and communities to enhance health, end hunger and overcome hardship in 18 countries. Hessler-Radelet served as Director of the Peace Corps (2012-2017) and served as Deputy Director beginning in 2010. She has spent decades leading global health efforts with John Snow, Inc. (JSI), consulting on programs for USAID and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She also founded the Special Olympics in The Gambia and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa. Carrie holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University.

Catherine Cullen is a Senior Reporter for CBC News on Parliament Hill. She covered Stephen Harper’s final official visit to China, Justin Trudeau’s inaugural international trip as Prime Minister and the first Trudeau-Trump meeting at the White House. She fills in as guest host of CBC Radio’s The House and CBC TV’s Power & Politics. A graduate of Western University and Concordia, Catherine spent the first decade of her career in Montreal where she reported the Lac Megantic tragedy, province-wide student strikes, and Quebec politics. (She still misses the bagels.) 

Colton Kasteel is a youth leader, climate policy analyst and researcher focused on advancing innovative climate finance and mission-driven capital across Canada, and beyond. Colton works as a Research Fellow at the UBC Sauder Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing (SauderS3i), a leading Canadian think tank dedicated to social finance and impact investing. 

Colton also serves as lead delegate and project coordinator for the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC)’s delegation to COP24. His work at the United Nations with BCCIC, most recently at HLPF 2018 and UNFCCC SB48-2, has focused on furthering government ambition in international climate change agreements and strengthening Canada’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

Deborah’s professional contributions to date have been at Inuit organizational and federal levels. She has taken lead roles in helping to develop strong social and political structures for Inuit Elders and Youth in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut which are now seen as models across the territory and national political arena.
Deborah was born in Churchill, Manitoba, raised in Repulse Bay, Nunavut and had to leave home to attend high school in Arviat (Eskimo Point).
Deborah has worked for the Kivalliq Inuit Association as a regional youth coordinator, taking the lead in creating mission statements and by-laws as well as clarifying roles of members and committees, always doing so in consultation with the youth in the Kivalliq region. This led to the creation of the National Inuit Youth Council where Inuit youth for the first time had voting rights in Inuit organizations such as: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and Inuit Circumpolar Conference. These initiatives took Deborah to work as an Elder and Youth Coordinator at the Department of Social, Culture and Education at Nunavut Tunngavik. Her work promoted the principles and objectives of Inuit social and cultural policies and the design of cultural programs and services including methods of delivery in Nunavut as pertained in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Deborah continues to support multiple levels of Inuit organizations and federal departments and serves KAIROS on its Steering Committee. She looks to collect and relate information and knowledge from both Western and Traditional Inuit systems and looks to identify further linkages with other actors in the global community, further opportunities to promote Inuit values and ethics within her profession along with utilizing appropriate Inuit and Western concepts and resources to support the advancement of Inuit society.

Diane Jacovella is Canada’s Deputy Minister of International Development. She was appointed to that position by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in July 2017. Prior to that appointment she occupied the position of Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 2016 to July 2017; Assistant Deputy Minister, Global Issues and Development at Global Affairs Canada between 2013 and 2016; and Assistant Deputy Minister, Multilateral Programs at the Canadian International Development Agency from 2007 to 2013.

Ms. Jacovella has a wide range of international and domestic policy and programme experience having held a number of executive positions in Health Canada, Human Resources and Development Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Diana Opollo serves as the Gender Equality Specialist for Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA) Canada, providing technical support to staff based in Canada and partners implementing development and humanitarian interventions overseas.   

 Diana has a PhD in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has several years of experience lecturing courses in Research Methods, Gender, and Policy Studies at the University level and has worked as a Research Consultant with various organizations in Kenya. 

 Her interests include gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. She has published several articles and presented at various conferences globally. Diana has worked with refugees, the homeless, poor women and children in rural and urban slums.

Dillon Black, M.S.W. (they/them) is a gender-nonconforming feminist anti-violence advocate & LGBT2ISQ+ rights activist with a deep commitment to social justice, equity and community development through an intersectional and trauma-informed approach. For the past 6 years Dillon has been working with the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW), where they are currently coordinating the Violence Against Women Advocate Case Review (VACR) in partnership with the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre. VACR (also known as the ‘Philadelphia Model’) is an accountability model that promises to challenge gender bias in policing and systematically capture institutional barriers faced by survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Dillon is currently pursuing their Ph.D. in Criminology & Surveillance Studies at the University of Ottawa.

In 2018, Dillon was appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau to the Gender Equality Advisory Council for Canada’s G7 Presidency, to ensure that gender equality and gender-based analysis are integrated across all themes, activities and outcomes of Canada’s G7 Presidency. Previous awards include: Community Builder Award from the United Way; CHEO Healthy Kids ‘Health Advocacy and Public Education Award’ for their contribution in the “Building Capacity for GLBTTQ Youth Mental Health Project” (YSB); and a Femmy Award (International Women’s Day Award) for their work in preventing gender-based and violence against women in Ottawa.

Researchers from Carleton University teamed up with IMPACT (formerly Partnership Africa Canada) and the Development Research and Social Policy Analysis Centre on a GrOW-supported project, ‘Uncovering women’s experiences in small-scale mining in Central and East Africa.’ This project aimed to fill the knowledge gap on the role of women in mining and the impact of heightened regulations on their lives by looking at women’s activities in gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. This research project is policy-oriented and has gained attention at high levels in some of the countries in which it was conducted. This presentation will focus on outlining the partnered approach in the project and why this was such an important strength to the research, and highlighting the particular challenges the team faced in researching and translating research in a policy context that is changeable and sometimes volatile. 

Edward Jackson is Senior Research Fellow at Carleton University and Honorary Associate with the Institute of Development Studies. A former Associate Dean in Carleton’s Faculty of Public Affairs, his research areas include social finance, social enterprise, local governance, program evaluation and community-university partnerships. He also serves as President of E. T. Jackson and Associates, advising development agencies, private foundations, universities and non-governmental organizations in Africa, Asia and North America. He is a co-founder of the McLeod Group.

Elena Toukan is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, where she is pursuing a Doctor’s degree in Philosophy in a Collaborative program in Comparative, International and Development Education. Her Master’s research focused on service as a context for individual and community development in international education and development programs. Current research interests include the relationship between global citizenship education curricula and local action, as well as the acquisition, generation and mobilization of knowledge through education, particularly as it relates to community development. In addition to her academic work, Elena has worked with over a dozen educational organizations in five different continents as a teacher trainer and as a consultant for organizational capacity building.

Elissa Golberg was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister – Strategic Policy at Global Affairs Canada in September 2017. She is also currently the department’s champion for innovation.

Ms. Golberg has successfully pioneered complex policy and multi-million dollar program initiatives, and led multi-disciplinary teams working on significant international peace and security, human rights, emergency management, and sustainable development challenges.

From 2015 to 2017, she was Assistant Deputy Minister – Partnerships for Development Innovation at Global Affairs Canada, where she oversaw Canada’s multi-sectoral and multi-country investments in sustainable development through civil society organizations and led the department’s development innovation agenda. Prior to that, from 2011 to 2015, Ms. Golberg served as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and to the Conference on Disarmament (2011-15) where she chaired several important global processes including in relation to a fissile material cut-off treaty, polio eradication, violence against women, human rights special procedures, humanitarian action and forced displacement. Other recent previous roles have included Director-General of the Canadian Government’s Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (2009-11); and Representative of Canada in Kandahar, Afghanistan (2008-9).

Born in Montreal, Ms. Golberg holds a Master’s degree in International Relations, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. She is a recipient of the NATO ISAF General Service medal, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Public Service Award of Excellence, and 3 Ministers’ Awards for Foreign Policy Excellence. She has been a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and a member of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Violence and Fragility. She has published articles on humanitarian, fragile state and public policy related matters.

Elizabeth May is Leader of the Green Party of Canada and its first elected Member of Parliament, representing Saanich-Gulf Islands in southern Vancouver Island. In 2005, Elizabeth May was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her decades of leadership in the Canadian environmental movement. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School and was admitted to the Bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. She practiced law in Ottawa with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre prior to becoming Senior Policy Advisor to the federal minister of the Environment (1986- 1988). For seventeen years Elizabeth served as Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada. A proud mother and grandmother, she lives in Sidney, British Columbia. Elizabeth is the author of eight books, including her most recent book Who we are: Reflections on my life and on Canada.

Originally from Lévis, QC, Emilie Nicolas is a Vanier Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto. Using the context of Francophonie, she researches the role of a shared language in social inclusion and international solidarity. Emilie’s academic interests are directly connected to her engagement with public affairs. More specifically, her involvement in youth politics led her to coordinate a provincial consultation on cynicism and democracy and to act as policy director and spokesperson for a political convention on Quebec identity and cultural diversity.

Since that time, she has contributed to various non-profit organizations in Montreal and Toronto, and has completed an Action Canada Fellowship. She is also a founding board member and the President of Québec Inclusif, a movement that unites active citizens from across the political spectrum of Quebec society to promote respect for religious diversity and intercultural understanding. Currently a Junior Fellow at Massey College, Emilie holds a Harry Jerome Award for Leadership along with a Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. She speaks French, English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole

Fae Johnstone (she/they) is a public speaker, consultant, educator and community organizer on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin territory (Ottawa, ON). She also works part time at Venus Envy Ottawa as a Sex Educator and Retail Clerk, and serves on the Strategic Advisory Council of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, and the Champlain Regional Planning Table for Trans Health.Her areas of expertise include LGBTQ+ and trans inclusion, social policy, child and youth mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and anti-oppressive education. Fae holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Carleton University, and has an extensive background in the nonprofit sector, specifically on LGBTQ youth, child and youth mental health, and sexual and reproductive health issues. All of Fae’s work is driven by her passion to change the realities of LGBTQ+ youth and other marginalized communities.  She brings to the table not only a passionate drive for change, but an approach informed by intersectional anti-oppression, structural social work, and lived experience. 

Gabrielle Bouchard is President of the Quebec Women’s Federation (Fédération des femmes du Québec). She is presently serving on the Advisory Council on the Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. Co-winner of the prize Héméris 2015 Quebec Council LGBT. Bouchard worked as a trans rights advocate and public educator at the Centre for gender advocacy from 2011 to 2017. She was the spokeswoman in the lawsuit against the Quebec government to end the legislative discrimination against trans people, non binary and intersex in the province. She participated in the process leading to legislative changes to end the forced sterilization of trans people in Quebec. She holds a certificate in Restorative Justice from Simon Fraser and has an ongoing degree in Women’s Studies at Concordia University.

Gillian Dowie is a Senior Program Officer with the Employment and Growth program at the IDRC, previously working on the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) program. Before joining, Gillian worked on the J-PAL policy team for Africa, based in Sierra Leone, where she sought scale up opportunities for evidence-driven policies and programs on governance and maternal and child health. Previously, she worked for the ILO in Indonesia where she focused on youth employment and rural development. Gillian has an MSc in Development Studies from the University of Glasgow.

Gisèle Baraka Bashige is a young journalist and professional social worker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 7 years of experience. She is also a trainer in gender, female leadership, and peaceful conflict resolution.

As a journalist and a defender of human rights, she has travelled in every territory in Sud-Kivu Province as well as several other countries to help women understand their rights and fight for their integrity. Gisèle worked diligently on consolidation of peace, refugee assistance, defence against sexual and gender-based violence, and parity promotion. She published a piece on the inclusion of refugees living with physical disabilities as an example of her work. Recently, thanks to her work in peaceful conflict resolution, she was invited by the American State Department to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program. The program, “Conflict Resolution among Ethnic Groups in the DRC,” was held in succession in Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Los Angeles, Louisville, and Manhattan.

Gisèle is also a member of the Réseau Congolais des Artisans de paix and the Nothing Without Women movement in the DRC.

She is currently the program manager at the Associations des Femmes des Médias (AFEM-RDC) and Mama Radio, a thematic community radio network with the editorial line “gender equity.”

Special thanks to MATCH International Women’s Fund for working with the Next Generation – Collaboration for Development program to support Gisele Baraka Bashige’s participation in the conference.

Helen Kennedy became Egale’s Executive Director in 2007 – the first woman to hold the position. She joined the organization with 22 years of experience in politics. She is a founding member of Canadians for Equal Marriage, widely regarded as the most influential public policy lobbying campaign in Canadian history. Helen’s work includes the Climate Survey on Homophobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools. She has trained Immigration Refugee Adjudicators and police services across Canada and the Balkans. She is Co-Secretary General of the International Gay, Lesbian, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), a worldwide federation of 1100 member organisations from 110 countries campaigning for LGBTI rights. Helen is also a member of the Ontario Ministry of Education Student Well Being Committee and Ontario’s Roundtable on Violence against Women. 

James Milner has been a researcher, practitioner and policy advisor on issues relating to the global refugee regime, global refugee policy and the politics of asylum in the global South. In recent years, he has undertaken field research in Burundi, Guinea, Kenya, India, Tanzania and Thailand, and has presented research findings to stakeholders in New York, Geneva, London, Ottawa, Bangkok, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and elsewhere. He has worked as a Consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India, Cameroon, Guinea and its Geneva Headquarters. He is author of Refugees, the State and the Politics of Asylum in Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), co-author (with Alexander Betts and Gil Loescher) of UNHCR: The Politics and Practice of Refugee Protection (Routledge, 2012), and co-editor of Protracted Refugee Situations: Political, Human Rights and Security Implications (UN University Press, 2008). Before joining Carleton, he was a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto (2006-08) and a Trudeau Scholar at the University of Oxford (2003-06). He is currently Research Director for the World Refugee Council, Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford.

Jennifer Donville is a Senior Gender Equality Advisor at Plan International Canada.  She holds a Master’s degree in International Development and an HBA in Political Science. She has twelve years of international development experience in program management and gender equality technical oversight of projects across Asia and Africa, particularly with a focus on girls’ rights, education, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.  Jennifer’s professional focus has been on gender equality capacity building, with a passion for training design and facilitation, and the monitoring and evaluation of gender equality outcomes.

John Cockell is Head of External Relations and Strategic Communications for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Canada, based in Ottawa. He has worked in various capacities as a staff member for the United Nations over the past twelve years, working across the interface of peacekeeping, political affairs, development, and humanitarian action. From 2007 to 2015 he worked for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) HQ in New York, serving as an advisor on complex peace operations and crisis recovery, and as a regional portfolio manager for crisis country support. From 2009-11 he was seconded to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and to the UN-AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to lead integrated mission planning processes for peace process management, post-conflict recovery and mission transition/drawdown. In 2016 he also served as a senior advisor to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), leading state formation capacity-building efforts in southern Somalia in support of the new federal government. Prior to joining the UN, Mr. Cockell served as a senior policy advisor with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London.

Jessie Thomson is a civil society leader on international refugee protection. She is currently Senior Director, Program Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, at CARE Canada has worked with CARE for the last seven years. She has worked as a protection delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan, and as a senior policy adviser at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, leading policy development related to refugees and Canada’s relationship with the UNHCR. Jessie is also co-chair of an Ottawa-based private sponsorship of refugees group supporting a newly arrived Syrian refugee family and is Chair of the Board of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization.

As CEO of Convergence, Joan leads the world’s first institution dedicated to increasing private sector investment in emerging markets by helping investors execute blended finance deals. Joan is an expert in catalyzing investment in places that need it most. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in emerging markets, working with public, philanthropic, and private investors at OPIC, the Global Environment Fund, and IFC.

John has developed a great depth of knowledge and experience over two decades in Ottawa, serving in three portfolios in legislation and communications while in government and in senior communications and stakeholder relations roles while in opposition. He also has extensive agency experience, providing strategic counsel and communications advice for a wide range of clients in the technology, health care, education and financial services sectors.
Most recently he worked in government as Director of Communications for the Liberal Research Bureau, playing a key leadership role in the planning and execution of the digital communications strategy for both caucus and Cabinet Members, and working closely with the Prime Minister’s office to provide issues management and strategic support in a wide range of policy areas.
A natural communicator and strategist, John has both authored and overseen the development of digital marketing and communications products in the public and private sectors, and has designed winning campaigns, covering all areas of brand management and marketing strategy. He also provides media training and crisis management counsel for those in senior leadership roles and has guest lectured on building compelling narratives for the digital media landscape.
With a graduate degree from the University of Toronto, John began his career writing for broadcast news and is now the author of two books – the most recent a political crime thriller that he maintains is completely fictional.

Judyannet is a young African who strongly believes in Africa in all her beauty, diversity, capabilities, resources and peoples. She advocates for development in Africa that centers youth and women. She works with the Network of African Youths for Development (NAYD) in communications as a social media coordinator and editor. At NAYD, Judyannet highlights young community development actors, hosts topical discussions with youth on social media and writes on development-related issues. She holds a BA in sociology and English linguistics, an MA in sociology and has just started a PhD where she will be researching development and gender in Africa. She also enjoys writing verses and short fiction. 

Julia is responsible for day-to-day management of the Global Affairs funded project, including managing human and financial resources, reporting, and liaising with Global Affairs Canada. The Senior Director of Programs and Operations works closely with the Executive Director to implement the organizational strategic plan and long-term fund diversification and sustainability plan. Julia holds a Master of Arts degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies from Trent University where she focused her studies on the role of civil society in Canada’s international cooperation activities. She has held several positions in the non-profit and academic sectors, including serving as the Director of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility at Trent University and a Program Manager with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.  She is also an active volunteer working with the New Canadians Centre to support refugee resettlement and she also serves as the Vice-President on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Council for International Cooperation.  

Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada since 2014, is a leader on gender equality and human rights with more than 20 years of international development experience. Before joining Oxfam, she was the Director of the Central America Program for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, and has served as the Director of CIDA’s Gender Equality and Child Protection Division.  Julie has written extensively on issues of gender and employment, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and globalization.  She sits on the Executive Board of Oxfam International where she acts as the gender champion for the world-wide influencing and campaigning work, chairs the Gender Justice Committee and is a member of the Safeguarding Task Force for the organization.  

Ms. Kamal Khera is the Member of Parliament representing Brampton West and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue. She is a registered nurse, community volunteer and a political activist. Ms. Kamal Khera is passionate about improving the lives of those around her and is committed to being a strong voice for change for all residents in Brampton West.

A first-generation Canadian, Ms. Khera immigrated to Canada from Delhi, India at a very young age. She attended York University where she earned an Honours Bachelors of Science in Psychology and an Honours Bachelors of Science in Nursing.

Drawn to assisting others, Ms. Khera gained diverse experience within the field of Health through her professional experience with Centre of Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), Peel Family Shelter, and William Osler Health Centre. Ms. Khera worked as a registered nurse in the Oncology Unit at St Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, which gave her a deep understanding of the issues that impact individuals every day.

Ms. Khera is an active member of her community, she has served as chairperson of South Asian Canadians Heritage Foundation, mentor and program coordinator at Big Brother Big Sister of Peel, and event coordinator with Sick Kids Foundation.

Karen Vecchio was raised on a turkey and hog farm near Sparta, Ontario. She attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated from the dental health program at Georgian College.

In London Karen owned and operated ‘Coffee Grind’ while working at the management level at New Sarum Diner in Central Elgin. After working as the Executive Director to Member of Parliament Joe Preston for 10 years, Karen decided to seek the Conservative nomination in Elgin-Middlesex-London, and was elected in 2015.

Karen serves within the Conservative Caucus as the Shadow Minister for Families, Children and Social Development and the Chair of the Conservative Social Development Advisory Caucus, focusing on issues related to income supports for seniors, housing and homelessness, poverty, and child care. She is currently the Chair of the Status of Women Committee and Co-Chair of the All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus.

In her personal capacity, Karen is married to Mike Vecchio and they have 5 children.  She is very proud of her rural roots and strong family core values.

The concept and practice of evidence-based policy-making holds that properly developed public policy draws on the best available evidence and is not politically or ideologically driven. Since taking office in 2015, the Liberal government, and particularly Global Affairs Canada, has argued that evidence-based policy-making is key to designing effective development interventions supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality. The Feminist International Assistance Policy also emphasizes an evidence-based approach to development assistance. Yet the transfer and uptake of academic research in policy contexts in Canada continues to be challenged by differences in institutional needs, priorities, and communication styles. Better communication and uptake of research and program results to policy audiences is important and difficult work; it requires both improving the supply of research that is reliable, timely, and written to be relevant to the policy process, as well as increasing the accessibility and use of research results by decision makers. This presentation will draw on the work and experience of the Growth and Economic Empowerment of Women (GrOW) Research Series to discuss contemporary challenges and opportunities for research-to-policy translation in Canadian international development.  

Katja Iversen is the President/CEO of Women Deliver – a leading global advocate for investment in gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women, with a specific focus on maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Iversen, an internationally recognized expert on development, advocacy and communications, has more than 25 years of experience working in NGOs, corporates and United Nation agencies. Previously, she held the position as Chief of Strategic Communication and Public Advocacy with UNICEF, a position she came to after almost six years of leading the team responsible for advocacy and communication on reproductive health with UNFPA. She holds a master’s degree in communications, bachelor’s degree in public administration and certificates in management, conflict resolution, and international development.

Iversen has worked in global development for more than 20 years and has an extensive network within the UN, development communities, and global media. She has counseled and trained multiple Fortune 500 executives on cross cultural management and cross cultural communication. She is a member of Prime Minster Trudeau’s G7 Gender Equality Council, the Unilever Sustainability Advisory Council, the MIT Women & Technology Solve Leadership Group, and an International Gender Champion. Iversen was recently named in the top 10 of Apolitical’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. She is also a sought lecturer and speaker.

Ketty Nivyabandi’s leadership in mobilizing women in protest against her country’s government led her to flee persecution to Canada. As a refugee, Ketty continues to be a voice for peace and rule of law in her country –Burundi–, and regularly speaks on human rights, refugee issues, and the intimate effects of conflict on women’s lives globally. Prior to joining Nobel Women’s Initiative, she worked with the U.S State Department in Burundi and as a Communications Specialist with the United Nations in Uganda.

Kimahli Powell is the Executive Director of Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian charitable organization that helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals escape violence and persecution in their home countries. He has a wide range of experience in the non-profit sector, and leads Rainbow Railroad’s programs and fundraising towards a dynamic future. Among his other achievements in advocacy and social rights, Kimahli most recently helped launch the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network’s legal challenge to Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law, led public outreach initiatives including the Human Rights Networking Zone at multiple international AIDS conferences, and guided the Legal Network through a monitoring and evaluation framework on legal advocacy. 

Leigha is the Senior Knowledge Exchange Officer at CanWaCH, with a key role in overseeing the organization’s knowledge exchange work, including driving member engagement and supporting the stakeholder engagement team. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies and Modern Languages from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Carleton University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy at Carleton University, focusing on knowledge mobilization among international NGOs to influence public policy. 

Leslie E. Norton has served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Sub-Saharan Africa Branch at Global Affairs Canada, since August 2016. Previously she served as Director General, Southern and Eastern Africa Bureau from 2015 to 2016, and as Director General, International Humanitarian Assistance Bureau from 2009 to 2015, first at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and then in the amalgamated department. At Headquarters, her other executive-level assignments have included Director, International Humanitarian Assistance and Food Aid Unit from 2006-2008, and Director, Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response Group from 2008- 2009. She began her career in Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and then moved to CIDA working in a range of positions in Africa, Asia and Multilateral Branches, including postings to Bangladesh and Geneva.  

Associate Professor of Sociology at Memorial University in St. John’s, Canada. His research examines the role of foreign aid in international norm diffusion, violence against aid workers, the politics of Canadian aid policy, and the causes and effects of women’s political representation in the Global South.  His first book, The Globalization of Foreign Aid: Developing Consensus, was published by Routledge in 2018. His other research has appeared in journals such as the American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Social Science Research, and World Development.   He is a past-President of the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development. Before pursuing his doctorate, he worked at the Canadian International Development Agency on Canada’s aid program to Pakistan and the South Asia region.

Majid Mirza has been working in development and impact investing since he completed his Masters from the University of Waterloo in 2009. As Senior Project Manager and a member of the Investment Technical Team, Majid’s primary responsibility has been leading MEDA’s blended finance initiatives INFRONT (Impact Investing in Frontier Markets) and Trading Up. Majid is also on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Forum for Impact Investment and Development (CAFIID) and part of the GIIN’s Blended Finance Working Group. Majid has a Bachelor in Arts & Business from the University of Waterloo along with a Master in Business Entrepreneurship & Technology. 

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau was elected as the Member of Parliament for Compton—Stanstead in October 2015. She has served as a minister since 2015, and is currently the Minister of International Development.

Before entering politics, Minister Bibeau began her career at the Canadian International Development Agency, and went on postings to Morocco and Benin. After settling down with her family in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, she became a successful businesswoman and was actively involved in her community.

As a minister, she has helped refocus Canada’s international assistance on helping the poorest and most vulnerable people and on supporting fragile states. In June 2017, after several months of consultations, Minister Bibeau launched Canada’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy. This innovative new vision will make Canada a leader in the fight against poverty by prioritizing gender equality in the country’s international assistance programming.

Supported by this new policy, Minister Bibeau advocates for actions and initiatives that empower women and girls, and she defends their rights. As well, she is at the heart of Canada’s strategy for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development objectives both at home and around the world.

Helping Canada exercise its leadership on global health issues, she played a key role in ensuring that Canada hosted the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Montréal in September 2016, and that it will host the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver in 2019, which will bring together 6,000 people.

Matt is a Senior Analyst at the Canadian International Development Platform, an initiative that leverages open data and big data to analyze, visualize and discuss Canada’s engagement with the developing world. Matt’s most recent research at the Platform has focused on development finance institutions, innovative finance, and Canada’s ODA disbursements to gender equality initiatives. 

Megan Nobert is a Canadian born legal professional and academic specialised in international criminal law and human rights. Trained as a lawyer in Canada, and currently qualifying in New York State, she has worked with the prosecution’s offices at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the International Criminal Court.

Megan is also a humanitarian, having worked in in the Gaza Strip, Jordan and South Sudan on issues of humanitarian law and gender-based violence. While in South Sudan in 2015, she was sexually assaulted by another humanitarian, and this lead to her going public in Buzzfeed and the Guardian about her experience in July 2015.

This experience inspired her to start Report the Abuse, on 19 August 2015, whose mandate was to break down the silence on sexual violence against humanitarian aid workers. Although Report the Abuse ceased operations on 20 August 2017, due to a lack of sustainable funding streams, during its short period of operations it broke down considerable barriers within the humanitarian community: inspiring survivors of sexual violence to speak up and creating the first good practices tools to assist humanitarian organisations address sexual violence against their staff.

Michel Maietta is Director of the Interagency Regional Analysts Network and Director of Research at IRIS, specializing in the geopolitics of development and the problematics of international aid. Michel is also the IRIS Director of the Humanitarian and Development department. Maietta has considerable experience in the humanitarian and development sectors, including field experience with ACF France as Country Director, with Solidarités International as Regional Director and with Sidactio, where he developed and managed a program to empower HIV/AIDS grassroots organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. Michel is course director for the IRIS Humanitarian Manager Program, responsible for International Programs at IRIS and co-director of the Humanitarian Leadership Program at Deakin University. 

Mustafa Alio was born in Latakia, Syria and came to Canada in 2007 for his studies. His own experiences of refuge, integration, and inclusion have been the foundation of his work. He received his Bachelor degree in Business Administration, and completed a post-graduate degree in Marketing Management and Financial Services. Mustafa is the Co-Founder, and currently the Development Director, for Refugee Career Jumpstart Project. In addition, he is the Co-Founder and active Board Member of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, and a proud member of the Network for Refugee Voices. Mustafa has contributed a number of articles on refugees’ issues for board and international public audiences. His most recent articles can be read in the New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and The Globe & Mail.

Muzna Dureid is a Syrian refugee who arrived in Montreal in November 2016. Before arriving in Canada. She is the founder and coordinator of Women Refugees not Captives, a campaign that aims to end the practice of forced child marriages in Syrian refugee camps. Trilingual,

Dureid is a laureate of the Sister to Sister mentorship program offered by the Nobel Women’s Initiative. She is also part of the Women Deliver Young Leaders group of 2018- 2019. Dureid has continued her international advocacy work from Montreal. She is also studying conflict prevention and dispute resolution, and working as liaison officer with The White Helmets .

Dureid’s most recent project is Indigenous – Refugees movement is a save-space for women and series workshops on lessons learned between both group which aims to build stronger bonds for a stronger Canada.Muzna was nominated to the finalist list of 25 top canadian immigrants in canada just after one Year.

Nicolas Moyer is President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC); the sector association representing International Development and Humanitarian organizations in Canada.  Serving as Canada’s independent national voice for international development and humanitarian affairs, CCIC joins with its diverse membership in working to end global poverty and promote social justice and human dignity for all.

Prior to joining CCIC in 2018, Nicolas was a founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Coalition, a joint venture of some of Canada’s most experienced humanitarian organizations which has become an proven partnership model for improving Canadian contributions to disaster response. In this role and others, he has built a deep knowledge of Canada’s international non-profit sector.  Nicolas began his career in this international development in Ethiopia, where he worked with local women’s groups to deploy livelihood programs and support women to catalyze fundamental change for themselves, their families and their communities.  In that country, he also established the Canadian Network of NGOs (CANGO) and wrote for and edited a national newspaper.

He holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the Université de Montréal, a Masters in International Relations from MacQuarie University in Sydney, Australia, and an Executive MBA from Queen’s university in Kingston.  He was presented Ottawa’s Top 40 Under Forty award in 2016 for his social entrepreneurship and community engagement.

Pascal Paradis is one of the three founding members of CBSA where he is also secretary of the Board of Directors. Initially a volunteer and member of the Executive Committee from 2002 to 2004, he has been Executive Director of the organization since 2005. He has managed or participated in several international cooperation projects in the areas of justice and human rights in various regions of the country. world. His personality, commitment to human rights and his reputation in the legal community have earned him two nominations, by Canadian Lawyer magazine, among the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada.

Paul Lamontagne is a social entrepreneur who brings a passion for making an impact in the world. Previously, Paul was Executive Investment Partner at Capafrica, a Canadian private equity group that invests in renewable energy, infrastructure and telecommunications in Africa. Before his role at Capafrica, Paul was Head, Africa & Middle East, Global Banks at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

Paul served as founding CEO of Enablis Financial Corporation, where he pioneered a new model for impact investing in early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.

Currently, Paul is a Director of the Young Presidents’ Organization, a US-based global network of CEOs, and Chair of Sagarmatha Technologies, a technology platform company in South Africa.

Priyanka Bhalla is an independent consultant specializing in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and gender mainstreaming initiatives in humanitarian settings. She has worked as the GBV Advisor for the IFRC Asia-Pacific Regional Office. During this time, she led the GBV prevention and response during disaster research project, which is a collaboration between the IFRC Asia-Pacific regional office and the ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management (ACDM). The research project spanned some of the most disaster-affected countries in southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Lao PDR and is being continued in Cambodia and Vietnam this year.  She holds a PhD from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. Priyanka has helped civil society actors create and evaluate their GBV prevention programs for women and girls in Nepal, trained UN peacekeepers on the UN code of conduct during UN peacekeeping missions and helped design studies on sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls during times of conflict. She has held consultancies with IFRC, UNDPKO, UNDP and UNFPA related to women, peace and security and has a Masters in International Affairs (MIA) from Columbia University.

Raj Kumar is the founding President & Editor-in-Chief of Devex, the media platform for the global development community. A social enterprise dedicated to ensuring global development efforts do more good for more people, Devex was born in 2000 when Raj was a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Today, there are 100+ Devexers around the world serving a global audience of more than one million aid workers and development professionals. Beginning as a kid in Kerala, India, Raj has witnessed firsthand determined and courageous development work in over 50 countries – it’s what drives the Devex mission to “Do Good. Do It Well.” He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a media leader and former humanitarian council chair for the World Economic Forum, and has interviewed on-camera and on-stage hundreds of global luminaries on the most important challenges of our time.

Dr. Raymond A. Mar received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2007 and has been at York University ever since, where he is currently Associate Professor of Psychology. Dr. Mar employs the methods of personality psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience to research the real-world influence of imaginative experiences. This includes engagement with fictional narratives across various forms of media (e.g., novels, films, videogames). This research has been published in Human Brain Mapping, Annual Review of Psychology, and Discourse Processes, among other outlets. Dr. Mar’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 

Razia Sultana, a Rohingya Bangladeshi, is a trained lawyer, researcher, and educator working with Kaladan Press Network, an independent Rohingya media organization. She is also the founder of Rohingya Women Welfare Society, a grassroots organization working in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Both are partners in a $19-million five-year program funded by Global Affairs Canada and managed by Inter Pares. Razia’s work with Kaladan Press includes being lead researcher on the reports Witness to Horror, on the 2016 wave of anti-Rohingya violence, and Rape By Command, which documented the Burma Army’s use of rape as a weapon against the Rohingya. In April, she addressed the United Nations Security Council on the Burma Army’s use of sexual violence against the Rohingya – the first Rohingya person to ever address the UNSC. The UN Secretary General subsequently blacklisted the Burma Army for perpetrating sexual violence against women and girls affected by conflict. Razia’s research has also led her to be invited to speak at other international fora in Germany, Sweden, France, and the USA, as she is increasingly recognized as the world’s leading expert on state-sponsored sexual violence against the Rohingya.

Rebecca Tiessen is Professor and Deputy Director in the School of International Development and Global Studies and University Chair in Teaching at the University of Ottawa. Rebecca`s research examines the Canadian foreign aid priorities including feminist foreign aid, gender and development, and women, peace and security. Her 2017 edited book (co-edited with Stephen Baranyi) is titled: Obligations and Omissions: Canada`s Ambiguous Actions on Gender Equality by McGill-Queen`s University Press. 

Rita Morbia has been the Executive Director/Co-Executive Director of Inter Pares since 2009. She first joined the organization in 2001 to manage Inter Pares’ extensive Burma program. Currently, Rita has program responsibilities in the Philippines and Sudan in the area of women’s rights and reproductive health. Rita serves on the Board of the Canadian Health Coalition and has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. She has a background in environmental activism and a master’s degree in Biology. Inter Pares – which means “among equals” – believes in solidarity as an approach to international cooperation. For over 40 years, Inter Pares has worked closely with courageous activists and more than a hundred inspiring organizations throughout the world to build peace, advance justice and globalize equality. Inter Pares works with long-term counterparts – local and national activist organizations – in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Canada. As a feminist organization, Inter Pares values methodologies that promote collaboration, foster good process, and encourage the agency of those with less power.  

With a strong interest in global issues, Robert Greenhill has combined a career in international business with a commitment to public policy. Robert Greenhill is Executive Chairman of the Global Canada Initiative. Previous roles include Managing Director and Chief Business Officer of the World Economic Forum, Deputy Minister and President of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and President and Chief Operating Officer of the International Group of Bombardier Inc. Robert started his career with McKinsey & Company. Robert has a BA from the University of Alberta, MA from the London School of Economics, and MBA from INSEAD. 

Everyone does it, but Rosemary Quipp has made a career of it: telling stories. Rosemary leads content strategy for Aga Khan Foundation Canada, drawing on her background in journalism to develop rich, human narratives about the organization’s work in Africa and Asia. Shared across digital and in-person platforms, these stories illuminate the impact of global development efforts and inspire audiences to get involved. Rosemary also facilitates training on storytelling in strategic communications, and oversees a suite of activities to support Canadian journalism on global issues. Prior to joining AKFC in 2012, Rosemary worked as a radio and print journalist in Canada and East Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, and a master’s degree in political science from McGill University. 

Roxana is Professor of Economics at the Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP). Her research in applied microeconomy focuses on issues of natural resources and the environment and the regulation of infrastructure sector, in the context of development economies of Latin America. She also served as Chief of staff for the Ministry of Energy and Mining of Peru, and currently serves on the Steering Committee of Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI). Roxana is also an investigator with Grupo Sofia, that promotes gender equality in academia and other spaces of knowledge production.  

Sandeep Prasad is an Ottawa-based lawyer and activist who currently serves as Executive Director of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, an organization committed to advancing and upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and globally. Before co-leading the amalgamation which created this organization, he served as Executive Director of Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD) for 4 years. From 2006-2011, he held the position of Director of International Human Rights Advocacy with ACPD, where he was principally responsible for advocacy activities within the UN human rights system. In this role, Sandeep established himself as a leader in efforts to advance sexual and reproductive rights within the work of key UN bodies and mechanisms. Since September 2012, Sandeep has served as a Member of the High-Level Task Force for ICPD which works to galvanize political support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and ensure that post-2015 development frameworks and efforts prioritize these issues. 

The MP for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, Sheila Malcolmson is the NDP Critic for Women’s Equality and Federal NDP BC Caucus Chair. With a passion for environmental advocacy and a degree in Environmental and Resource Studies, she was previously the elected Chair of the Islands Trust Council and has been a policy analyst for a number of non-governmental organizations. She has championed the issue of abandoned vessels, gender equality on federally regulated boards and brings together people of different backgrounds to achieve pay equity, universal affordable childcare, and to end violence against women.

Somed Shahadu is a Doctoral student at the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa. Somed previously worked with the Network for Social Advocacy and Development Initiatives (NESCAD-Ghana) in his home country, leading a flagship project on promoting girls education and development in the rural districts of Northern Ghana. Somed also worked as a broadcast journalist at Radio Justice in Ghana and is still affiliated to the Canadian group Journalists for Human Rights (JHR). Somed previously attended Dalhousie University (2011-2017) where he graduated with a Combined Honours in Journalism and International Development Studies, as well as MA in International Development Studies. His research focuses on gender and development with a particular interest on the impact of gender equality program in practice in Ghana looking specifically at the nature and impact of change, the role and impact of involving men and boys, the experiences of men and boys who have been/wanted to be involved in “gender equality” programs.  

Sophia Huyer is Gender and Social Inclusion Research Leader of the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Programme (CCAFS) as well as Director of Women in Global Science and Technology (WISAT) based in Brighton, Ontario. She has engaged in research and policy analysis on global gender equality issues relating to technology, innovation and sustainable development for over 20 years.

She was with the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (GAB-CSTD) until 2014, as well as Senior Advisor to the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) at The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) from 2009-2013. Major publications include the chapter “Is the gender gap narrowing in science and engineering?” in the UNESCO Global Science Report 2015; co-author of the chapter “Agriculture, Food Security and Future Earth” in the forthcoming book Global Change and Future Earth published by Cambridge University Press, and the UNCTAD report Applying a Gender Lens to Science, Technology and Innovation (2011).

Currently she is Guest Editor on a special issue of Climatic Change on Gender Transformative Climate-Smart Agriculture: An Action Framework. Sophia held a Fulbright Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2000 and is a member of the Editorial Board of the World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development. She received her Ph.D. from York University in Toronto.

Sue Szabo is the Director General of the Food Security and Environment Bureau at Global Affairs Canada, responsible for the development, delivery and assessment of Canada’s multilateral investments in environmental sustainability and food security, including a significant portfolio of international climate change financing.  Sue has more than 20 years’ experience in global development, holding various leadership and analytic positions in economics and public policy.  Prior to joining Global Affairs Canada in October 2017, she headed the Inclusive Economies program at the International Development Research Centre.  She previously led the Development Policy team at Canada’s Department of Finance, has worked for the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and began her career as a Young Professional at the World Bank. Sue has a PhD and an MPhil in economics from the University of Cambridge

Susan Ormiston is CBC senior correspondent for TV, radio and online. She has reported from 25 countries and conflict zones including Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. For her award-winning journalism, she’s captured three Geminis including “Best Reportage” for her work in Afghanistan, and “Best Digital” for a Canadian election special called “Ormiston Online.” In 2011 she won a Foreign Press Association award in London. She studied at Carleton University, earning a Bachelor of Journalism.

Theo Sowa is an independent advisor and consultant, specialising in international social development with a particular emphasis on children’s rights and protection issues. She is currently the CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund. Born in Ghana, she has lived and worked in many countries in Africa, as well as the UK, Europe, and the USA. She was Senior Programme Advisor on the UN Study on Children and Armed Conflict (the Machel Report) and led the five year review of the report. Theo was awarded a CBE in June 2010.

Special thanks to MATCH International Women’s Fund for working with the Next Generation – Collaboration for Development program to support Theo Sowa’s participation in the conference.

Virginie Levasseur, Ph. D. in Tropical Agriculture, has been involved in the field of international cooperation and climate smart tropical agriculture for more than 17 years. Her professional activities, mainly carried out in West Africa and Latin America, has led her to develop an intimate knowledge of agricultural and agroforestry production systems, logic and rationality of men and women agricultural producers when time comes to maintain or improve these production systems; adaptation to climate change in an agricultural context; sustainable watershed management; issues related to gender in agriculture, to farmers’ organizations and management of the value chain; and rural extension. Through her career, she developed skills related to research and development project management, as well in the management of field activities as in the administrative management. Among her achievements, the establishment of a vegetable research and development center for West Africa, the development of various extension guides and manuals on agricultural production, soil fertility and conservation management, the elaboration of extension programs for development projects and cartography activities within the certification process, the development of new value chain and support to existing ones (agricultural productivity, product quality and conservation, value added products, adaptation to climate change, support to farmers’ organizations, support in products’ marketing). She has been with SOCODEVI for the past 9 years, and she now is Director Consulting-services and Innovation.

Will Postma is the Executive Director at the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), the humanitarian and development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Will joined PWRDF in June, 2016. His international experience includes seven years with Save the Children Canada where he served as Director of Programs and then Vice President of Programs and Global Partnerships. With Save the Children, he ensured program delivery and growth in Africa, Asia, Latin America as well as Canada. For both longer-term development programs and more immediate humanitarian response, Will ensured protocols of monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting. Will led in developing programs co-funded with the Government of Canada as well as, in 2012, developing a $40 million program developed with The MasterCard Foundation and focused on over 40,000 12-18 year old school leavers in five African countries. Will oversaw much of the integration of Save the Children Canada within a new and federated Save the Children International.

His current work with PWRDF is to ensure oversight of operations and programs in MNCH, sexual health and reproductive rights and food security. Since joining PWRDF, an external institutional evaluation was completed which is informing the development of a next five year strategy for PWRDF as an institutional actor within the broader Canadian civil society, focused on justice and human rights, working internationally, including indigenous Canadian contexts.

Ziva Gorani is a Kurdish Syrian queer feminist who started her journey as a humanitarian worker soon after the Syrian revolution in 2011. Her Kurdish queer identity, refugee status, and feminist beliefs opened her eyes to the value of social activism in the Middle East. She hopes while she is in Canada that she will use her voice for the betterment of humanity through community interventions. Ziva has worked with many international media platforms, including Aljazeera, National Radio of France, and CBC to highlight the depth and the resilience of the queer community in the Middle East against multilayers of discrimination, which was the main reason behind her resettlement in Canada after being an exposed target as a vocal activist.